


ships passing in the night

by colormecandy



Category: Korean Drama
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:20:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29512398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colormecandy/pseuds/colormecandy
Summary: Smooth, uninhibited and quietly charismatic, Lee Kiwoo is a man of one-night-stands and quick goodbyes. Unfortunately, karma comes back in the form of the even more elusive Baek Jinhee, who disappears like smoke in the air on Monday mornings and somehow comes charging back into Kiwoo's life on Friday nights.
Relationships: Kim Woo Bin/Kim Ji Won, Lee Jong Suk/Baek Jin Hee, Lee Ki Woo/Baek Jin Hee





	1. Chapter 1

****

**one**

_"The very essence of romance is uncertainty"_

\- Oscar Wilde

* * *

It was an ordinary night. Low beats hung in the air, soothed together by a breathy falsetto that loosely sung a melody. People swayed listlessly, Gin-and-Tonic in hand, shuffling from seat to seat, table to table, lover to lover, soaking in the boozy atmosphere. Everything was out of place, but in place, falling into the rhythm of the tired Friday night. 

“Here you go,” Kiwoo said calmly, sliding a Mojito to a scantily clad woman on the other side of the bar counter. She blushed, touching his fingers flirtatiously as she took her drink from him. Kiwoo reciprocated with a small smile, _maybe later._

It was an ordinary night. Lazy music, tipsy bodies, an overly eager prospect, girl being hit on by some horny guy at 3 o’clock–

Kiwoo paused, turning back to the right. A young woman sat at the end of the counter. A man in with greasy, slicked back hair leaned towards her, whispering inaudibly in her ears as he placed a stubby hand on her thigh. She raised her eyebrows, distinctly uncomfortable. Kiwoo sighed. He’d seen this song and dance before. Bars usually didn’t bother, but his wasn’t that kind of establishment. He silently moved over towards them, ready to slowly but surely piss off a thirsty drunkard.

The woman’s eyes shifted to Kiwoo. Then, eyes as firm as steel but calm as still water, she leaned towards the man, whispering something else in his ears. He flinched, turning to look at Kiwoo, his eyes widening and pupils dilating. He immediately backed off, seemingly unsettled, giving Kiwoo guilty looks as he went away, moving on to a different, less resistant target.

Confused, but also relieved that he didn’t have to start a definitely unfavorable altercation, Kiwoo approached the woman. “Hey, are you alright?” he asked.

Startled and oddly, slightly guilty, she looked back at him. “I’m fine, thank you,” she replied, voice soft and mellow.

There wasn’t anything especially eye-catching about her. She had a small frame, a clear complexion, and dark curls scooped into a low ponytail. Dressed in a light, pastel colored blouse and a well-fitted pencil skirt, Kiwoo could tell she came straight from the office. She was emblematic of an ordinary office worker, yet Kiwoo couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her dark, piercing eyes seemed to search his for something he didn’t even know he was hiding. It was a chase, a wordless back-and-forth, blurring the babbles of the bar into the background. 

Emitting a soft chuckle, he placed a clear glass on the counter, clinked in a few ice cubes and poured her a shot of his best whiskey.

“You don’t look fine,” he smiled amusedly. “On the house.”

Her brows met in the middle. “I’m fine, really.”

 _Stubborn._ She probably thought that he was making a move on her, just like the slimeball had been. But, Kiwoo wasn’t that kind of guy. “Then, for a good save,” Kiwoo replied, as if to say: _I’m not trying anything._

Eyes softening as she met Kiwoo’s harmless gaze, she shrugged and took the drink in her hands. “You know,” she said as she sipped, “if you give a free drink to every girl who gets hit on, this bar’s owner is going to lose a lot of money.”

“It’s my bar.”

“Oh,” she said, unruffled, “then you’re going to lose a lot of money.”

He chuckled at her confident, unbothered, matter-of-fact tone. He liked her already. She wasn’t trying to be haughty, rude or hard-to-get – he could tell, oddly, she was just being factual. Something he didn’t feel very often as an owner of a place where people seemed too keen to advertise their shittiest tendencies to one-up a lowly bartender.

“It’s probably one or two a night, plus,” he added coyly, “it won’t hurt to make a pretty girl smile.”

She snorted, clearly amused at his well-timed advances. “I’ll bet you say that to all the girls,” she replied knowingly. He did, of course he did – he was glad she wasn’t unrealistic. “One or two a night – that’s a little of an underestimation, though.”

“Alright, I’ll bite,” Kiwoo laughed as he habitually rubbed away at the freshly-washed martini glasses at the counter. “How much money am I going to lose a night?”

“Let’s see here,” Jinhee said, scanning the bar. “It’s a Friday night, one of your best nights of the week. You’ve got a good crowd in, all your tables are filled and there are some people wandering in… I’ll assume you have about 20-30 tables, and some bar seats?”

Kiwoo nodded. “Sounds about right.”

“Great,” she said, glad he returned her enthusiasm. She looked up, as her mind clicking away at her mental calculator. “Let’s say, 25 tables, 4 people per table, maybe about 15 bar seats, and a good 20 people just wandering around… so 135 people, but let’s be a little generous on a Friday and round it to 150?”

Kiwoo’s eyelids shot up. Math wasn’t his Achilles’ heel, but it wasn’t every day that a girl with a couple of straight shots in at perhaps 10pm would be doing mental math at his counter. Now, he really wanted to know what she did for a living. Maybe if his prospects didn’t work out, she could be his personal calculator – _with benefits._

He just smiled and nodded again, letting her set the pace. “Sure, let’s say that.”

"150 people, let’s say a good 50% are women?”

"40%. More men in general,” he said, shaking his head. Looking up at her, he shot her a cheeky grin. “Unfortunately, we’re biologically programmed to be the hunters. Not easy for a guy at a bar, you know. Poor guy just now – what did you say to shoo him off?”

It didn’t piss her off. She reciprocated with a flirty little smile of her own, one that she –he hoped she didn’t know– could easily use to extort a few more free drinks from him. “Every woman has her secrets,” she smiled, throwing him a suggestive look that set his loins aflame. _God,_ he almost swore. If the bar wasn’t packed to the brim, he would take her at that very counter.

“But alright, 40% then, on account of you looking out for your fellow men,” she said, taking him back to their conversation. “That puts us at about 60 women.” She picked up his menu and briefly browsed through it. “Seems like your average drink is about 20,000 won. Maybe let’s say your raw material cost is about 40%? So 8,000 won per drink?”

 _35, actually,_ but he wasn’t about to show a woman, especially one who was getting more attractive by the minute, that she was wrong. It would be an extremely grave mistake. So, he went in the most appropriate direction – flattery.

“How are you getting these numbers in seconds? Are you secretly the national arithmetic champion?” he said, impressed. He took the opportunity to lean towards her. “Am I being punked? Like one of those reality TV shows where the government goes around checking the mathematics aptitude of the general public?”

It worked. Like clockwork, she burst out laughing. “Not on a Friday night, I hope not. I’d be sad to be asking people if they can count to ten while they’re just trying to get a Mojito.”

He resumed his form, continuing to wipe his martini glasses. “Just had to check,” he said, a smile curving at the edge of his lips.

She shook her head – she clearly knew when a man was being cheeky. “Sure, so 8,000 won per drink, 60 women, assuming one free drink per girl, we’re looking at 480,000 per won each night… Doesn’t sound like much, but maybe it’s about 10-15% of your average nightly profit?”

“About there,” he nodded. He looked at her, genuinely impressed by her creative problem solving, but also trying to exaggerate his fascination. “Now that you mention it, that does seem to be quite a fat amount.”

“Isn’t it?” she replied, wrinkling her eyebrows in a teasing manner. “I’d hate to see you losing out on your hard-earned money.”

Emboldened by her sugary tone, he reached out and used his knuckle to give her chin a soft, quick caress. “Glad you’re looking out for me, sweetheart,” he chuckled. In his periphery, he could see the blush rise and color her cheeks a sweet pink. _God, she’s adorable._ “But you see, that’s strategy too, right?”

“What do you mean?”

Kiwoo began placing the martini glasses on the rack. He needed to pull away a little for the push to be more palpable.

“If I give you a free drink today, you’ll think to yourself, here’s a loose bartender who’s willing to give away free drinks to get some. And then next week, you’ll bring your friends, preferably more ladies for my lads,” he gave her a wink, and she eyeballed at him, “and I’ll make some back. Give and take. Ladies’ Night is on Wednesday, by the way.”

 _Make her jealous, just a little._ He knew the game. She’d get a little annoyed, maybe even jealous at his sexist comment, and then he’d placate her with a drink and more flattery. He was respectful enough to know that all women weren’t the same, but smart enough to know what most would respond to. It was hard, cold statistics.

Following along his formula, he flipped a glass over and poured her another shot of whiskey. “Now, you’ve lost even more money,” she chuckled, accepting the drink. “I’d come for Ladies’ Night, but I’m not always in this part of town.” Not quite as affected as he hoped, but hey, statistics. _You win some moves, you lose some._

“Maybe I’m not trying to make money off you.”

She arched her eyebrows, quite confused. “Are you sure you’re a businessman?”

“No, but you are,” he said. He leaned forward, closer this time, staring squarely into her eyes. Her beautiful, dark eyes glazed with a thin veneer of her defense. He could swear that she flinched. “You see, with two drinks, I’ve found out that you’re in some business-related career, your office isn’t nearby, and you’re not as averse to me as you were towards that dude earlier. Now, all that’s left is your name.”

She broke into laughter, clapping her hands in amusement. She had to give him credit for winning a game that she started, truly.

“A master indeed,” she admitted, smiling in defeat. “Jinhee,” she said, stretching out her hand, “your money burner for the night.”

He reciprocated, reaching out and clasping her small, warm hand in his. “Kiwoo,” he grinned, “your free-flow drink machine for the night.”

He poured her another drink and, _well, why not,_ tilted the bottle and gave himself a shot.

“You should really stop giving me free drinks,” Jinhee chuckled, feigning concern.

“Are you really asking me to make you pay?”

He raised his glass, and she responded by clinking hers against his. They down their shot in unison, and gaze back at each other. There was something about her, the way she played along with his teasing, the way she parted her glossy, full lips, the way she gazed at him, eyes glittery and inviting. Even the way she could unfalteringly speak to her logic and calculate numbers and percentages without blinking seemed oddly hot. It was going to be a very long night.

A shuffling noise and a few heated whispers broke his attention. He turned to the right, observing a familiar scene unfold. Another thirsty and inappropriate guy, another clearly unwilling girl – except that she wasn’t as clever and steadfast as Jinhee. He looked back at Jinhee, who gestured for him to do his duty. But no, he’d already invested too much sunk cost.

He waved over one of his employees and wordlessly signaled the red flag. Nodding in understanding, the employee began to diplomatically shoo the guy away.

He threw Jinhee a slick look. “One money-burner is enough for a night.”

She laughed.

* * *

“–Boss, I’m going to close up the cashier, alright?”

Kiwoo blinked. He turned, noticing his general manager signaling at him from his cash register. Scanning through his surroundings, watching his employees trudge about an almost-empty bar busting tables and clearing scraps, Kiwoo was slowly transported back to his reality.

He checked his watch. _2am. Jesus Christ._

He turned back to Jinhee, who was now sporting a somewhat sheepish look. They’d been talking for close to three hours. Three whole hours, and on top of that, during his work shift.

But all had not been for naught, he tried to convince himself. As they talked, he’d discovered that she was a consultant. She had to explain it to him a few times, because the concept of young twenty-somethings advising, “consulting”, large corporations and government institutions on corporate strategy seemed almost ludicrous to him. It astonished him that the industry had existed so long without the large part of the general public knowing what it was. But it made sense, because her quick thinking, systematic processing and affable demeanor on a boozy Friday night was not something most people possessed. And it also made sense that she didn’t have an office nearby, because most of the time she was on the plane, hopping from project to project – an elite nomad who didn’t quite mind not knowing where she was, or what she was doing.

It also meant that she was good at giving non-answers. She told him about where she went, but hardly said anything about where she was from. She told him why she liked consulting – “the travel, the value we deliver to clients, the steep learning curve” – but nothing substantial about why she was sitting alone on at his bar on a Friday night. He’d done something similar in response to her elusiveness – he told her about his love for new concoctions, how he’d change things up in the bar on a weekly basis, even how he’d dropped out of college to start a restaurant business. More “whats”, less “whys”. Polite introductions, uninformative pleasantries. They’d spoken quite extensively about so many things, yet about nothing at all.

He could see Jinhee shift uneasily from the corner of his eye. She’d probably realized the same thing. “Well, I should go,” she said, almost embarrassed, as she hopped off her seat and dusted her skirt. “It’s been really nice meeting you though, Kiwoo.”

He nodded. “You too.” _Really, that’s it?_

She lingered for a moment, contemplating what he hoped was whether to ask him out for the night, or rather, morning. Instead, she reached for her back, unhooked the clasp, and extracted her credit card.

“It doesn’t feel right to receive all your free drinks for nothing,” Jinhee said politely, sticking her card at him. “It just seems wrong to take advantage of an honest small business.”

He smiled and pushed away her card. “Don’t worry about it – my pleasure.”

A small, unsettled smile tugged at the edge of her lips. She stood there, unsure of whether to insist on paying and risk offending his chivalry or to be a living cliché that he probably saw in his bar every night. He knew she meant well, what he was more irked about was the fact that she had yet to broach the subject of how the rest of the night would go.

To his dismay, she simply bowed at him, and then slowly traipsed towards the exit. _Seriously, that’s it?_ He’d expected her to give him a few signals with some flirty looks, suggestive comments, maybe even ask if his place was nearby. Maybe the latter was a stretch, but he at least didn’t expect her to leave after trying to pay him. But, what annoyed him the most was the fact that he was annoyed.

Why was he annoyed? She did try to pay. He could tell she genuinely did feel bad about eventually not paying – she just didn’t want to offend him. She clearly wasn’t trying to take advantage of him. Sure, they did exchange pleasantries for hours, but she wasn’t knowingly wasting his time. He’d spent time with her out of his own volition. He did lot of the querying, in fact. And everything she said was riveting, deftly structured; she seemed to know exactly what to say without giving anything away.

 _Fuck._ “Hey, holdup–“

Right before he said anything, she turned around. It was almost telepathic, like she too could feel that he was yet to be satiated. Even better, maybe she herself had not been satiated.

“I know it’s late, but can you wait thirty minutes?”


	2. Chapter 2

****

**two**

_"Sex is the consolation you have when you can't have love."_

\- Gabriel Garcia Marquez

* * *

_I must be out of my mind._ Jinhee fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat. Her feet felt cold and clammy against the interior leather of her heels, her hands clasping and unclasping on her lap. Every few minutes, she would steal a glance to her right–

He was still there, basking in all his chiseled, Greek god glory. _As if he could jump out of a moving car._ If she didn’t know better, she would’ve thought the Olympians themselves sculpted him from clay. Jinhee had met her fair share of handsome, charismatic men, but Kiwoo just seemed to ooze pheromones from head to toe. He was tall, inexplicably tall – when they left the bar, he towered over her tiny frame, so much so her head couldn’t even reach his shoulders. But he emanated this quiet, mellow warmth, as though he was a blanket on a cold winter’s night. And his eyes – he had the kindest, softest eyes, ones that could ease a woman into believing simply anything.

Jinhee wasn’t scared. She hadn’t been, of anything, for quite a while. _But should I really be going to his place?_ At her age, all her ‘stranger danger’ senses seemed to be switched off, though they probably shouldn’t. She’d warned herself to have more caution, more restrain, or at least some semblance of sensibility. But there she was, about to saunter carelessly into a man’s place, a man who –she glanced at him– she’d know for less than five hours and was probably a good five years older than her.

She had timed her glances pretty carefully, but not this time. The taxi rode over a speed bump, promptly causing them both to jump and him to look at her. This time, those immensely beguiling eyes were gazing right into hers.

“Hey, you alright?” Kiwoo asked.

Jinhee pressed her lips into a smile. “I’m fine,” she replied, but knowing her answer was extremely unconvincing, she added, “just a little cold.”

Instinctively, he shifted his shoulders, removing his soft wool blazer. “No, no, it’s okay,” Jinhee insisted, waving her arms. “It wasn’t code for you to give me your jacket.”

She must have seemed comical, because he gave her an amused look. “Are you laying a trap for me?” he chuckled. “Because if I don’t give you my jacket right now, I’m going to look like the biggest asshole.”

“I’m not, promise.”

But he slid it over her shoulders anyway, and Jinhee soon realized that it was an excuse for him to also put an arm around her. It affirmed what she knew he was – a pro.

The cab swerved to a halt. _Yep_ , she acknowledged, _there’s no getting out of this tonight._

* * *

His eyes followed her silhouette as she crossed the cool marble threshold. Each step was delicate and pensive, yet resolute. She slowly inspected her surroundings, deliberately taking in the earthiness of his apartment, soaking in the silence of the room. Her gaze trailed over his dark grey polyester sofa, to his plywood cabinet, to the few photographs he had framing his various travels, before finally meeting his.

Kiwoo felt his breath hitch in his throat. It must have been getting late, but there was something strangely hypnotizing about Jinhee. She moved with certain familiarity that indicated she had been to a man’s place –an unknown man’s place– before, but with sufficient self-consciousness to let him know that she did have her reservations. She wasn’t a fish out of water, but this wasn’t her element. Maybe it was that part of her that drew him to her – the part that seemed neither here nor there.

“It’s a nice place,” she said, breaking the oddly unawkward silence.

“Thanks.”

Kiwoo didn’t like to hover, so he made his way to the kitchen and subconsciously pulled out two wine glasses. _But we’ve already drank_ , he realized, remembering the abundance of free whiskeys he had provided her. He turned to look at her, who had made her way to a kitchen counter seat.

“Please,” he gestured, noticing that she was polite enough to wait for his cue to sit.

She was very much sober. And so was he. They were both much more civil and clear-headed than he thought they would be, considering the number of shots they had in the bar. It was oddly pleasant, he thought.

He shrugged. Why was he overthinking the type of glass they should use? He handed an unsuspecting Jinhee the wine glass. “Can I get you something to drink? Wine, juice, water?”

“Juice? Though, I should probably be drinking more water,” she laughed sheepishly.

“Water it is,” he smiled.

“Thank you.”

He slid the wine glass under the automatic water dispenser built into his fridge, and let the soft beeping of the dispenser fill the room. There were several ways he could direct the night, and it felt kind of weird knowing she would be able to respond adequately to any.

“You seem like you travel a decent bit,” Jinhee started, before he could say anything.

Kiwoo made his way around the kitchen counter and propped himself on an adjacent barstool. “I try to,” Kiwoo replied. “Once a year, during low season, I take a week off to somewhere I haven’t been.”

“Interesting,” she chuckled, “that’s a lot of the same places for someone who goes to ‘places he hasn’t been’.”

He snorted as he noted the four out of five skiing pictures that he had framed up. “Tahoe, Banff, Aspen and Hakuba. A wonder I even managed to take pictures,” he said, shaking his head. “Where there’s good snow, there’s always a–“

“Raging blizzard,” she nodded, finishing his sentence.

He raised his eyebrows. “You’ve been?”

“Yes and no,” she replied. “When I was younger, my parents were obsessed with Niseko. We went there almost every year until–“ she paused, but only briefly, not giving Kiwoo a chance to question her. “–until we decided to try a different place. Then we tried Hakuba.”

Kiwoo nodded – some stories were best left untold.

“Ski or snowboard?”

“Snowboard. You?”

“What a ruffian,” Kiwoo joked. “I ski.”

Jinhee arched her brows. “What an old man,” she shot back at him with a smile.

“I’ll have you know,” Kiwoo started, defending himself humorously, “that I’ve gotten my fair share of injuries speeding down the hills with my skis in full parallel.”

“Oh really?” Jinhee cooed, humoring him. She nodded, pretending to be impressed.

He gave her a little smug look and began to roll up his sleeves. Revealing a small scar at the edge of his elbow. “Two broken bones from one of the Black Diamonds in Tahoe. It was the last run after eight hours on the slopes, and I decided to race my friend. Funnily, a snowboarder.”

Jinhee leaned in, slowly scrutinizing the red line across his forearm. She was about to trace the edges of it, before pausing to look up at him, as if asking permission to move closer. The scent of her soft, floral perfume wafted into his nostrils, making him heady. He had caught the scent earlier when they were in the cab, but her current proximity made it even more–

“–painful?” Jinhee gently pressed a finger on the reds of his skin.

The way she gazed at him –innocuous, yet breathlessly inviting– caused his blood to rush through his veins, slowly passing through his head and pooling at his loins. _God, it burned_ , he thought, feeling the warmth in his trousers. And it was as though she could hear him – he could see soft pink slowly flush her delicate, porcelain cheeks.

_Fuck._

As she retracted her hand, he dove in, passionately pressing his lips against hers. His lips devoured hers, moving desperately, passionately, and engulfing her in a scorching heat that burnt her lips and riveted through her body. Slowly, he pressed a hand against the small of her back, drawing her towards him and moving her to his lap. She gingerly rested her hands on his chest as he enveloped her in a deep kiss.

Jinhee couldn’t think. Her mouth moved shyly against his, letting her senses slip away. Her hand wandered over his shoulder, slowly settling on his nape. Then, as if that had been his intent all along, he broke the kiss, leaving her lips to feel the cold, almost frigid air seeping in between them, his face only inches from hers.

A small smile toyed at the edge of his lips as he saw the confusion gradually spread over her beautiful, slightly flushed expression. She looked at him with a shy nervousness, but also a wanting gaze, as if to say – _what are you doing?_

“Asking you for consent,” he chuckled softly, answering the question that hung in the air. His lips grazed against hers, as though he was testing her boundaries, _is this okay, Jinhee?_

“To do what?” she taunted, touching the side of his face.

Kiwoo caressed her cheek, letting the blush rise to her face again. He gently tucked a stray curl behind her ear, smiling all-too-warmly. He then leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss behind her ear. Jinhee emitted a small murmur. “To do this,” he whispered, feeling the warmth suffuse through her skin. Slowly, he worked his way down and then kissed her neck. “And this,” he whispered again, before moving towards her shoulder and giving her another kiss – “and _this_.”

Jinhee pressed her lips together, biting back a moan. There she was, in a stranger’s house, sitting on his lap and letting him kiss his way down her body, and all she could feel were the jolts of electricity that ran through her veins. She nearly shuddered as he moved slowly, deliberately, taking hold of all her senses.

“Kiwoo…” she groaned inadvertently as he licked a sweet spot between the crevice of her neck. She put a hand over her mouth, shocked at the sound that escaped it. Her breath was caught in her throat as she struggled to keep herself in control.

He chuckled again –that warm yet dangerously assured chuckle of his– and whispered in her ear, “That’s the first time you’ve said my name, Jinhee.”

She tilted her head, looking into his soft brown eyes. “And you mine,” smiled.

“So I’ll take that as a yes?” he breathed, his breath hot against hers.

“ _Yes_.”

* * *

They fumbled their way into his bedroom. He had to lift her by the back of her thighs and wobble into the room in order to keep his lips moving against hers. Emitting a grunt, he flopped her onto his bed, coming fully apart from her for the first time since he kissed her in the kitchen.

As he flicked on his bed lamp, her eyelids fluttered open and her eyes slowly swept across the room. The dim lights illuminated the soft grey walls and the simple, wooden fixtures. He kept little décor, with only a few brown-and-grey ornaments adorning the walls, shelves and tables – as expected of a bachelor of his age. Lying on his massive, almost too-expansive bed, Jinhee felt the cold and satiny sheets against her small arms, causing her to shiver involuntarily.

“Cold?” asked Kiwoo, noticing Jinhee prop herself up with her arms.

“No,” Jinhee replied.

Kiwoo quietly extracted something silver and shimmery from his bedside table. Jinhee turned her head and squinted – _a condom._

Jinhee held her breath, unsure of how to feel. On one hand, considering they had been locking lips inseparably for the past twenty minutes, it was almost laudable that he had put his head over his heart and remembered the existence of protection. On the other hand, she was on his bed, dress straps almost falling off her shoulders, staring knowingly at what he would use to have sex with her. It wasn’t her first time with a man, but she wasn’t having sex with a random stranger every other Friday. She wasn’t sure whether to be grateful that this stranger was responsible or unsettle herself on what she was about to do with him.

Kiwoo turned, his eyes falling on the now slightly disheveled Jinhee. She sat in still, contemplative silence, barely stirring as he moved onto the bed. _What are you thinking about?_ He wanted to inquire. He hadn’t been able to read her movements since they were still flirting at the bar. The litmus test for her willingness to let him take her to bed was performed a long time ago, but he still felt hesitant. Even as she shifted her gaze towards him, he couldn’t tell if she wanted this. If she wanted _him._

“Penny for your thoughts?” he asked, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her back onto his lap. Her arms slowly found their way to his shoulders and looped around his neck.

His low, patient baritone seemed to ease her of her earlier hesitancies, as though to tell her that he was not in a rush, and she could take her time.

A smile crept onto Jinhee’s lips. “I just think…” she started, watching him as he inhaled. “…that you’re _really_ tall.”

He furrowed his brows, somewhat amused. “ _That’s_ what’s bothering you?” he laughed, his voice dripping with incredulity. “You’re worried that I’m too tall? That’s got to be new.”

“It’s a legitimate concern!” Jinhee asserted, tapping him playfully on the chest. “When we were walking earlier, you were a good two heads above me. What if–“

“What if what?”

 _Oh no._ He was staring at her with that look again. The look that seemed to drown her in the ocean of his deep, riveting eyes. The look that sent little butterflies loose in her stomach, toying with the tip of her now wildly palpitating heart. As his eyes searched hers, she couldn’t even steel herself, losing herself in the depths of his gaze.

Kiwoo sighed softly, bent his head down and placed a gentle, harmless kiss on her lips. “You can tell me to stop,” he murmured.

Jinhee pulled herself closer to him and returned his kiss. Their lips moved slowly and gently against each other, relaxing into the muted passion of the moment. His tongue began wandering around the entrance of her mouth, as if again, requesting her permission. Jinhee’s lips parted, letting his tongue move with hers in a slow dance, in rhythm with the gentle movement of their bodies against each other.

As his tongue explored her mouth, his fingers began to toy on the edges of her blouse. He tugged her blouse out of her skirt, before sliding them under and roaming her soft, bare skin. Jinhee felt her breath hitch as his fingers found their way to the clasp of her bra, almost forgetting to keep up with his kisses when he unhooked it.

“Kiwoo…” Jinhee mumbled as he deliberately palmed her breasts. He slowly deposited her on her back and deepened the kiss, searching the corners of her mouth.

She moved her hands back to his chest and slowly undid the buttons of his black dress shirt. He broke away from her for a moment, only to pull her shirt over her head and tug her skirt off her legs. He then paused, jaw nearly agape at her beautiful, exposed body splayed on his bed, completely nude except the lace panties that only barely covered her most private part.

Feeling the cool air brush over her exposed skin and his gaze burn into her eyes, she quickly tugged him back down, pushing his lips against hers. “Feeling embarrassed?” he teased, seeing the blush color her cheeks.

“You kept staring,” she complained softly, between kisses.

“Because you’re so beautiful,” he replied softly.

Jinhee released a sigh. “I’ll bet you say that to all the girls.”

As he moved to lick her collarbone, his hand moved downwards and slipped into her panties. Jinhee emitted a soft moan as she felt him press his hand against her entrance and push a finger in. She couldn’t hold herself from emitting several more as his fingers began to move, intensifying her arousal. He groaned, incited by his own ability to evoke her reactions.

Jinhee felt a hardness nudge against her right leg. Throwing him a saucy look, she pushed herself slightly downwards and unbuckled his trousers. As his eyes widened with a mixture of confusion and surprised recognition, she slid her hands into his boxes and began to fondle his growing bulge. She could almost hear him swear as she continued her soft ministrations. _And he thought I would just sit back and relax,_ she thought to herself.

“You little minx,” he moaned frustratedly in her ear, fingering her.

They continued touch each other in soft, muffled pleasure, bathed in the dim lights. As he quickened his pace, he felt her tighten against his fingers and release with a loud cry. He gazed at her, expression twisted with pleasure and satisfaction, her porcelain skin flushed pink. He thought back to what she had said to him – “ _I’ll bet you say that to all the girls_ ” – twice that night; he did, but rarely did he stare at someone and genuinely think it. And _god, she looks fucking beautiful right now._ So beautiful it was unbearable.

He pulled off his pants and ripped open the condom wrapper. Jinhee gasped, seeing the girth of his erection for the first time. Pulling off her panties and parting her legs, he slowly and willfully pushed himself into her. He watched she took in all of him, as the startled expression on her face contorted into pure, unadulterated pleasure.

Gradually, he began to move. Jinhee groaned softly as she slowly adjusted to his length. “So… big…” was all she managed to utter, as he thrust in her again, engulfing her in his heat.

“Fuck,” he cussed, thrusting deeply into her wetness. Her walls seemed to clench pleasurably around his girth each time he entered, sending currents of warmth throughout his entire body. He looked down at her, moaning in ecstasy at the intensity of his thrusts, and felt something lurch inside him.

He lowered himself and enveloped her lips in a hungry, wanton kiss. He’d been trying to suppress himself since they were in the bar, but now, with her every touch, moan and kiss, his desire for her intensified. As she returned his kisses with equal fervor, he grew bolder, more wanting. It meant that even if it was temporary, she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

“Kiwoo… please…” Jinhee yelled as he pounded furiously into her. Gone was the soft, kind, patient man who waited for her to make the move – he was overtaken by a passionate desperation to take her, take all of her, and she _wanted him to._

“Fuck… Jinhee…”

Jinhee gasped as he lifted her hips, angling her such that he could plunge all of him into her. She screamed, throat catching fire with his deep, frantic thrusts. She felt herself go over the edge, walls constricting around him as she let the pleasure inundate her. He followed with one last, aggressive thrust, spilling himself into her and collapsing on her tired, weakly stirring body.

He pressed a soft, satiated kiss to her sweaty forehead. He fell back onto his pillow and closed his eyes.

* * *

The leaving summer sunlight filtered through the autumn-dewy windows, refracted by angles of silver and glass, blinding Kiwoo’s slowly opening eyes. He covered them with his hands, letting his blurred vision acclimate itself to the rising sun.

He heard his alarm ringing, the sound of chiming bells reverberating through the room. Groggily, he rolled to his right, stretching out an arm to pat the sleeping Jinhee next to him–

Blankets. And sheets.

Startled, Kiwoo opened his eyes to a cold, empty half of his bed, with no one but a slight indentation to imply that someone had been there. Sleepily setting his feet on the floor, he began to amble about the different parts of his home to check on the girl. Maybe she was cold, hungry or –hopefully not– puking her guts out in the bathroom.

But every room was bewilderingly empty. Nothing was out of place, either. No Post-Its, no random scrap of tissue with words on it, not even a note inside his phone. No trace of her shoes, clothes, or belongings from the night before. Kiwoo’s eyebrows were knitted together in confusion. Staring down at his completely nude form, he couldn’t help but wonder if he had a wet dream.

He trudged towards the trash can and saw a soiled condom lying inside. He hadn’t been dreaming. _So where is she?_

He heaved a deep sigh. He didn’t expect her to be one of _those._ When she seemed slightly unnerved the night before, he thought she would at least be sitting in his living room or something. Or leave some kind of cryptic note. Not vanish into thin air, especially after a night of passionate, mind-blowing sex with someone she barely knew. _And was just getting to know._

“Seems you just want to be a ghost,” he muttered, shrugging off his slight disappointment. He probably wouldn’t have to meet her again, anyway.

* * *

“Good morning. Calling for passengers of Flight 226, bound for Narita, Tokyo. The boarding gate will be closing in 10 minutes. Please head to your boarding gate, immediately. Thank you.”

Jinhee clicked her tongue as she alternated quickly between her keypad and trackpad. As usual, client requests had come in like a tidal wave the night before, and entire slide decks had to be redone in the span of two hours. She had spent almost the entire morning sizing and resizing squares, rephrasing her associates’ sentences, and attempting to rearrange the presentations while working against a demonic VPN in a deserted airport. To Jinhee, it was a regular Saturday morning.

She flinched, feeling her pants brush against a raw part on her bottom. Inadvertently, she recalled herself being pinned to the bedframe, screaming in passion as Kiwoo thrusted into her–

 _Jesus._ She almost felt that she should be kneeling in prayer, despite her lack of religious leanings. She could feel the heat rise to her cheeks as she thought about it, even as she tried to fight the thought.

She had made a swift exit. She had woken up to her internal, consultant body clock, snuck out of his bed, dressed herself, crept out of his home –while praying that the door was an auto-lock– and flagged the first taxi back to her place. He had been sleeping peacefully when she left, unperturbed by anything. It was the perfect getaway, with a walk of shame so short it was barely existent. All that was left was to get back to her life.

She set her hands on her keyboard and heaved a long sigh. She hadn’t always been like this.

She didn’t always run away from one-night-stands. One-night-stands weren’t even her cup of tea. She used to think there was more to sex than the raw, animalistic desire to fuck someone. She used to think that the person mattered, too. Love, loyalty, feelings, relationships, and all the idyllic fairytale bullshit that everyone was going on about. And it wasn’t that she completely ceased to believe in it. She just couldn’t.

She literally couldn’t. She had a plane to catch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Man, this chapter took forever to write. It's the first mature scene I've ever written. Yes, even including my past writings, I've never written anything this explicit. Honestly, it was a pretty interesting experience, but I tried to make it as realistic as I could. /blushes 
> 
> I think what's important about this story is that I'm not trying to make it exclusively about the sex, but at the same time, I'm not trying to shy away from it. I feel like it's an integral part of every story - the way sex is present in our lives as we grow up. So it's best to address sex in a healthy way. But even if I take out the sex scenes, I think the story and our characters will still be as deep and layered.
> 
> So I promised I'd talk a little bit more about the characters after you got your first impression. Lee Kiwoo, the male lead, is a seasoned bar owner who's been around, who's pretty much seen a lot in life. He meets Jinhee in the bar and doesn't think it to be like, a life-changing moment. Neither does he outright ignore her. He treats her as a prospect, invests attention into her, sleeps with her for one night, even grows slightly fond of her (? this one is up to you readers, I can see how it goes both ways), but is mature enough to not believe in all the love at first sight bullshit either. When she leaves, he's not ruffled, indicative of his ability to just acknowledge maybe she wasn't interested, and just move on with life. Jinhee, on the other hand, is quite interesting. She pushes, she pulls - she doesn't reject Kiwoo, but she isn't desperate for him either. If anything, she seems more deeply invested to her work. She seems to be more bothered than Kiwoo though, by the thought of having sex with a complete stranger, though at the end of the chapter, she ironically ensures that Kiwoo remains just a stranger. 
> 
> What did you like/dislike about this chapter? Let me know! 
> 
> Next chapter will be out in a few days. 


	3. Chapter 3

****

**three**

_"Seriousness is too boring to the playful human condition. A heart of stone that has a long face can never express love."_

\- Michael Bassey Johnson

_Holy shit. This isn’t happening._

A familiar, ridiculously tall man stood amid the crowd, laughing leisurely, drinking champagne and basking in all his Greek god glory. This time, however, instead of being in a sweaty dress shirt –which Jinhee didn’t ever mind– he decked in a well-cut black-and-white suit, complete with cufflinks and an unmistakable Rolex. His soft, dark brown hair was slicked back, with a few loose strands falling to his forehead, framing his handsome face. To top it off, he had one button, just one button, undone, showing off his gorgeous collarbones, as if to indicate he was serious, but not _that_ serious.

Jinhee nearly cussed out loud. A plethora of questions emerged in her mind – _Why is he here? Why here? Why now? What even?_ She could already the feel the heat rising to her cheek with every second that she stared at him. Even without him standing right across her, she had spent the entire week trying to brush off the thought of them making love in his bed, with him moaning her name in that sultry voice of his–

 _Shut up, shut up._ She could make an exit. The engagement party had been going on for a good thirty minutes now. She could tell them that she got sick, an agonizing stomachache from the hors d’oeuvres, that she needed to bolt away right that minute. Or, even better, she could tell them that she had work, yes, she’d left her laptop with the concierge earlier on. The Seoul branch of her company was ten minutes away, she could easily–

Just as a floodgate of irrational getaway plans clogged up her mind, a man bumped against her, causing her six-inch heel to be caught in her long, chiffon party gown, and her glass of champagne to shatter on the carpet.

* * *

Kiwoo turned his head to the rather distinctive sound of glass shattering on the ground. For a split-second, a familiar pair of deep, searching eyes met his. Eyes that he would recognize anywhere. Eyes that occasionally came back to mind as he was working the bar all week. Eyes he gazed at as he thrusted into–

He felt an all-too-familiar burn in his loins. Kiwoo took pride in being a man of immense self-control, but a girl in a breathtaking, chiffon dress with her hair up in a romantic chignon and loose curls framing her beautiful face, who only one week before was lying beneath him on his bed – even the most restrained of men had their weaknesses.

 _Besides,_ he thought to himself, _no rule against speaking to a woman at a party._

Jinhee was crouched on the floor, frantically using a napkin to soak up the glistening beads of champagne and desperately praying that _he_ hadn’t noticed her even though their eyes met for a fraction of a minute, no, second–

“Jinhee, are you okay?” Jiwon fussed, getting on her hands and knees to help wipe the champagne and collect the glass pieces. “This is why I told you not to be careful with those ridiculous heels! I told you we were going to have lots of drinks and…”

“Are you okay, Jinhee?”

Jinhee’s breath hitched at her throat as a familiar, deep baritone called her name. She slowly, almost guiltily, looked up, eyes meeting his. Then he smiled, that charming, warm, reassuring smile that appeared in her thoughts all week, that could wordlessly get her to do anything, absolutely anything.

She sucked in her breath and attempted to steel herself. “I’m fine, thank you,” was all she managed to choke out. She dusted her gown, about to get up. He stretched out an arm and proffered it to her, but she slowly rose to her feet by herself.

“Hello again,” he said smugly, after they both had stood up.

“Hi,” Jinhee replied diplomatically, attempting to start on a more confident note. “How have you been?”

But he saw through the attempt and held himself from bursting into a fit of chuckles. “It’s been one week, Jinhee,” he said, smiling in amusement, “not one year.”

Just as she was about to shoot back a witty rejoinder, Jiwon chimed in, “Who’s this? Jinhee? Someone you know?”

 _Fuuuuck._ Jinhee closed her eyes in frustration. She nearly forgot Jiwon was right next to her. Jiwon had a knack for finding out what was going on and then broadcasting things to the rest of the world in a more exaggerated form. Jinhee was not ready to be bombarded by a series of overly invasive questions by her highly inquisitive housemate. Or worse, Kiwoo to be bombarded by those questions. _Take it in your stride,_ she told herself. _Take it in your stride._

“A friend.”

“An admirer.”

Kiwoo and Jinhee respond at the same time, with varying answers. Jinhee’s eyes widened – _an admirer? Seriously? You are not the male lead of a Korean drama._

He shrugged, the smug look still plastered on his face. _Hey, you can correct it._

At this point, their exchanged glances was enough to make Jiwon suspect something was amiss. Jiwon raised her eyebrows at Jinhee, to which Jinhee swiftly responded with: “He’s a friend, Jiwon. This is Kiwoo – he owns a bar near the business district.”

“A bar?” Jiwon’s eyes lit up. “Which one?”

“ _Ships Passing in the Night_ , near Gwanghwamun,” he replied. He deftly extracted a business card from his suit pocket and extended it to Jiwon. “Come in and I’ll give you a 1-for-1 for all cocktails.”

“Oh my god! Yes, I’ll come!” Jiwon exclaimed excitedly, quickly taking the name card and shaking his hand. “I’m Kim Jiwon, Jinhee’s housemate. Honestly, I don’t know how she makes such cool friends when she’s not even in the country 71% of the time!” To Jinhee, she turned and said, “Five out of seven, 71%, I can do math!”

 _God_ , Jinhee shook her head, _Jiwon could seriously be embarrassing_. One of these days, she would really knock her best friend out cold for being such a nuisance. Kiwoo was all smiles, looking pretty amused, and Jinhee begged that it was just because he was mature enough to not think otherwise.

“You seem really drunk,” Jinhee said, guiding her best friend away from Kiwoo. “Come, let’s get you a water.”

“I am not drunk!” Jiwon groaned as she was being pushed away from the chuckling Kiwoo. “Hey, Kiwoo! We should be friends – any friend of Jinhee’s is a friend of mine!” she called.

Jinhee heaved a sigh. Even without an open bar, Jiwon was already unnecessarily enthusiastic. A free flow of Moet in a party full of other drunk people usually made things way worse. There was once she sat in the middle of the road, yelling at random strangers that nobody loved her, and wouldn’t get up until Jinhee dragged her away. At this point, she was doubting her own choice in friends.

“Could you not, Jiwon?” Jinhee reprimanded her. “We’re in a public place, and I don’t even know that guy very well!”

“Reeaaaally?” Jiwon leaned towards Jinhee tauntingly. “You seem like you know each other _very_ well though. You guys did something together, didn’t you? Is this one of your one-night-stands again?” Jiwon emitted a loud, exaggerated gasp. “Is this why you didn’t come back last Friday before your flight?”

Jinhee quickly shushed her as people started to give them looks. “No, Jiwon. He’s just a friend. That’s it. Full stop. You’re making a scene!”

Jiwon shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, he seems pretty interested in you. Go for it, Jinhee – he seems pretty fucking hot. Someone I’d want in my bed come Valentines morning, whispering sweet nothings into my ear as we roll around in–“

Alarmed, Jinhee clamped a hand over Jiwon’s mouth, worriedly eyeing the guests. “There are children!”

* * *

When she returned, he was still wearing that smug little smirk. She had a mind to make an exit, but for some reason it didn’t seem appropriate. Additionally, it wasn’t the first time she’d met someone from a nightly escapade. There were only that many people in Seoul – it was a matter of time, that much she could rationalize. There was no reason to make a big deal out of it.

He was leaning against a pillar, his long limbs forming a neat line, augmenting his regal, statuesque form. Seeing him fully illuminated by the bright banquet hall lights was another matter – as if he wasn’t already irresistible in a dimly-lit bar. _Oh god_ , Jinhee exhaled defeatedly, _I am such a cliché._

“Your friend alright?” he chuckled, sipping on more champagne.

She nodded unenthusiastically. “I’m sorry, she gets a little hyperactive when she’s had too much to drink,” Jinhee apologized.

“No worries,” he replied sportingly. “At least she’s having fun.”

Jinhee wrinkled her nose, watching Jiwon fill her entire glass to the brim with Moet. “Too much fun.”

“You know the bride and groom?” he asked, opting for a rather natural conversation starter.

 _Knew._ Jinhee’s expression contracted. _Knowing them would be an understatement._ But she wasn’t about to tell Kiwoo the entire story of her life. No man wanted to hear a sob story at a non-sober event. “I’m just a friend’s plus one,” she made up a story. “Woobin,” she said, conveniently angling her gaze at one of her friends who was busy flirting with a bunch of ladies and then immediately regretting her decision, “needed someone to go with.”

She realized how pathetic she might have sounded when he followed her gaze. “I see,” Kiwoo nodded, giving her a knowing look. “Not a very good date, huh?”

Jinhee forced a polite, yet somewhat sheepish smile. “How about you?” she asked, changing the topic. “Do you know the bride and groom?”

He nodded his head again, more earnestly this time. “Jongsuk and Shinhye were my juniors in college – we were in the same recreational travelling club. Shinhye always had the hots for him, but he was busy with medical school, and I think he had a girlfriend at the time–“ Jinhee bit her lip. “–so I think they only got together a year or two ago? Can’t remember,” he shrugged. “Happy for them nonetheless.”

“That’s nice,” Jinhee replied absentmindedly. “So you went to Korea National University?”

“Yes, for a while, before I dropped out.” His eyes glinted. “But how would you know that?”

Jinhee nearly gasped. She realized he hadn’t mentioned what university they entered, and per her ridiculous, in-the-moment “plus one” lie, there was no way of her knowing. Maybe not no way per se, there were a lot of rational lies she could spin, but Jinhee hated having a web of lies in her personal life. She was seasoned enough to know it would come back to bite her–

“Jinhee!”

Just as she was about to come clean, a voice called her name. A voice that she hadn’t heard for a very long time.

Jinhee reluctantly turned, wincing as her gaze fell on a lithe, smiling young man. He was as handsome as she remembered, elegant in a polished blue suit. Next to him was a young lady in a flowing, organza gown, with lace trailing all the way to the carpet. She felt her stomach churn, twisting uncomfortably within her. They were akin to figures in a painting, a sight Jinhee never thought she would have seen. _At least not this soon._

Kiwoo had known she was somewhat uncomfortable ever since their eyes had met earlier on. Who wouldn’t be in a fateful encounter with someone they’d had hot, steamy, feverous sex with a week before? He had spoken with a tone of subdued, good-natured teasing, just to see a little color on her cheeks, but with no intention to harass her to the point that she didn’t want to speak. But in that moment, he could see a stream of distress cross her eyes. And she wasn’t looking at him.

“Congratulations… Jongsuk.” Jinhee murmured softly, so quietly it could have been a whisper. _Ah_ , it clicked in his mind. _It’s that._

“Congratulations, buddy! Wow, you really cleaned up well! You were such a scraggly little nerd back in college,” Kiwoo quickly intervened, setting up a livelier mood for conversation. “And Shinhye, you look absolutely ravishing! Really the belle of the ball!”

Jinhee saw a flattered grin form on Shinhye’s face. “Thank you, Kiwoo, always the charmer,” Shinhye laughed. “We’re so glad you could make it – we were worried that you’d be unable to get out of work on a busy Friday night at the bar.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Kiwoo said gallantly. Jinhee found a small smile curving at the edge of her lips. Something about the way he said things – charming, goofy, and just oddly… _reassuring_. 

“Oh, but do you both know each other as well?” Jongsuk asked, jolting her from her reverie.

Kiwoo smiled amiably, about to cover for her. “I’m her–“

“Boyfriend.”

Kiwoo’s eyelids shot up. He whipped around, giving her a quizzical look. Only moments before, she’d been enforcing their status as “friends” to even her housemate.

Jinhee pursed her lips. She didn’t know what came over her. She wasn’t usually this impetuous. She was a consultant, for fuck’s sake. Mastery over corporate relationships was the bread and butter of her career. She knew what to say, when to say it, and exactly how it would make someone feel. That skill shot her above thousands of candidates running a rat race to simply enter her field of work. Yet, in that moment, she felt unbelievably foolish.

Even Jongsuk and Shinhye seemed startled. “Why, Kiwoo, I thought you’d never get a girlfriend with that crazy dusk to dawn job of yours!” Shinhye exclaimed.

 _Please bear with me for a while,_ Jinhee’s pleading, apologetic eyes seemed to say.

 _My pleasure,_ Kiwoo looked at her, smiling through his eyes. “I know, it’s ridiculous even to me,” Kiwoo started, falling right into his role. “We actually met when I was at Hakuba. I was racing down the Black Diamond when I was crashed right into a pile of snow. I opened my eyes, and there she was! After sending me to the hospital, she disappeared. One day, she came to the bar, and I just knew that she was going to be–“

“I just frequented the bar often,” Jinhee interrupted, taking a more neutral tone. “One thing led to another.”

 _God, Kiwoo._ She wanted to laugh. He gave her a playful look. Naturally, he would use the contents of their conversation a week ago to paint a picture of their relationship. She knew exactly what kind of crazy, swashbuckling tale he would spin – good-naturedly, of course. _What a pain,_ she smiled amusedly to herself.

“Well, we’re so happy for you,” Shinhye began, slowly taking Jinhee and Kiwoo out of their moment. “But my parents are there, and we have to greet them…”

“Of course!” Kiwoo replied cheerfully. “Jinhee and I were just about to head back as well. Well, congratulations, thanks for having us, and we can’t wait for your wedding!”

As they bowed into mutual, trivial pleasantries, Kiwoo put a hand on her waist, and Jinhee felt her cheeks burn. They sauntered towards the exit, exchanging looks, while Jongsuk watched them, his forlorn eyes tracing the edges of their shadows as they left.

* * *

“I’m sorry!”

Shame was splashed across her reddening cheeks. What was already a difficult day was becoming worse by the second. She almost missed the first flight out of Bangkok in the morning, while apologizing profusely to her supervisor for taking a day off. She had spent the rest of the day contemplating whether this –attending Jongsuk’s engagement ceremony without any preparations– was a good idea, and then she just had to run into the man she left asleep after a night of impulsive sex a week back. As icing on the already fucked up cake was that she posed him as her _boyfriend_ in front of Jongsuk, of all people. _Get me out of this Korean drama, stat._

“Free-flow drink machine, convenient one-night-sex-partner, run-of-the-mill friend, and now, your boyfriend,” Kiwoo counted teasingly, intending to make the most out of it. “You really are making me play a lot of roles for you, Jinhee. For free, at that.”

Jinhee heaved a low sigh. “Look, I’m really sorry, I just–“

“After leaving me naked in my bed and running away in the morning, too,” he reminded her, eyes gleaming.

Jinhee flushed a bright red, as if her cheeks couldn’t get any redder. “You really are enjoying this, Kiwoo,” she said, sighing softly and breaking into a smile. “Alright, I’ll take the bait, what can I offer you?”

Kiwoo chuckled. “An open request? A blank cheque? _Really_ , Jinhee?”

Jinhee’s breath hitched at her throat as he leaned in, giving her a suggestive look. The memory of him thrusting passionately into her flashed into her mind again, nearly causing her to break out in sweat. He knew exactly how to keep her on her toes.

Kiwoo gazed into her eyes. He knew how he was making her feel. But what was a chase without the thrill? In the moment, she probably semi-disliked him for turning her into a blushing, stuttering mess, but later on, in her heart, it would make her think about him. Jinhee was already a tad more composed and self-respecting than many of the women he’d met, which only made him feel like prodding at her a little more.

She shyly swatted him away. “You’re absolutely incorrigible.”

Kiwoo knitted his brows, pretending to be upset. “You’re making it seem like I’m extorting you – it’s making me feel a little wronged,” he slurred. 

Internally, she acquiesced to the situation in defeat. If these were the cards she had been dealt, then there was no reason for her to continue to beat about the bush, twiddling her thumbs at how embarrassing and ridiculous it all was. In consulting, she learnt to adapt, be quick on her feet. She was _that_ girl. And he wasn’t a horrible man either. Glib-tongued, insanely hot, and most definitely a seasoned player, but he didn’t seem ill-intentioned. As long as she was self-aware and rational, she could go with the flow.

“Okay, dinner,” she said decisively. “Are you hungry? I’ll pay.”

“That’s what you said the last time.”

“Well, you didn’t take my card, so your loss,” Jinhee chuckled. “Let’s go eat dinner. If you don’t let me pay again, it just means you’re willingly letting me get away with it.”

He leaned over, scooped her close to him, and smiled. “I know a place.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I loved this chapter. I'm sorry for all the romcom tropes, and don't worry it won't devolve into your run-of-the-mill romcom. I just wanted something a bit more playful, less overly serious for our leads. But what I love is that they don't just fall into the trope... Maybe it seems like they do in this chapter, but you'll see things very differently in the next.
> 
> Can I add (seems to be me fangirling over my own writing but really it gives me squees) - I really just love how they seem to act so naturally around each other despite the time, distance, age difference, different life experiences etc, etc. And it's in a very non-toxic, sweet way. Idk. I love it.
> 
> Let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

****

**four**

_"I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago, I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun."_

– Jane Austen

* * *

She didn’t think she would be back so soon. Honestly, she didn’t think she would be back at all. By “a place”, he obviously meant his apartment – she should’ve known.

But there she was, melding into the white and gray tones of his lush, well-equipped kitchen. When she stepped into the apartment earlier on, she was greeted by soft lights, open spaces, neatly lined, minimalistic furniture and an odd sense of familiarity. It was as she remembered it, a well-thought cross between Ikea and Muji, a space as calm and down-to-earth as its owner.

Kiwoo was in his element, shuttling between the frying pans on his massive stove and the ingredients splayed across the kitchen island. One moment he was chopping carrots and checking on the boiled potatoes, the next he was expertly caramelizing onions. If she hadn’t seen him shaking cocktails two weeks back, she would’ve mistook him for a professional chef. Jack of all trades, she supposed, trying not to blush as he rolled up his sleeves to reveal his rippling forearms.

A pungent, burnt smell wafted through her nostrils. _Strange_ , she thought, _his onions don’t seem to be burning._ She quickly turned towards her garlic, realizing most of them were nearly charred.

She nearly jumped, but Kiwoo deftly dove in to save the garlic –and her– in the nick of time. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, feeling the shame creep onto her cheeks.

“Well, I’m definitely not hiring you as my chef,” he chuckled, transferring the garlic to another pan. “Accountant, maybe, but not my chef.”

She emitted a small laugh. “I’m really sorry – I hardly cook. My hours are so long I either eat out or settle for takeout, usually takeout.”

“Isn’t that horribly unhealthy, not to mention expensive?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Probably, but time is money,” she winked.

“Alright, businesswoman. Not going to count the dollars and cents with you again.” As he laughed in response, his eyes curved to form smiles, something she found admittedly cute.

Attempting to make herself at least mildly useful, she started to drain potatoes. “I didn’t think you wanted to cook, though,” she said distractedly. “I was going to buy you dinner for real this time.”

Kiwoo grinned. He leaned over and nudged her playfully. “Why?” he chortled. “Not the first date you expected?”

Jinhee’s eyes visibly widened. _Date –_ it been quite a while since she had heard that word. Not to be a bumbling schoolgirl, but it had really been a while. When Jiwon had pressured her into dating apps, Jinhee had dodged the “date” bullets left, right and center. Sometimes intentionally, sometimes because she really was in a different country, which was a convenient truth to tell. She wasn’t averse to men –obviously– or commitment –maybe– but her inability to control her schedule left her undependable. A person’s exasperation at false promises was something Jinhee was wary of avoiding.

Also why she had left Kiwoo in a hurry a week before. Maybe she’d apologize about that, possibly after a few rounds of drinks. Or maybe she wouldn’t, and she also wouldn’t have to pretend that she was a good, honest, upright person.

“No,” Jinhee replied, quickly turning away. “I just thought you–“ she paused. “– _Are_ we on a date?”

Kiwoo came right behind her as she used her fork to mash the potatoes, his back directly pressing hers. “Whatever you want, Jinhee,” he said silkily. “A date, a social engagement between two new friends, an appointment with an admirer… A business meeting, even.”

Jinhee broke into peals of laughter. “What are you laughing at?” Kiwoo asked.

“It’s just… I haven’t said that in a while,” she smiling as she reflected on her words. “Childish, isn’t it?”

He raised a hand and pinched her cheek adoringly. “I’m glad you know.”

* * *

“Wine?”

“Sure,” Jinhee called back, settling at Kiwoo’s dining table.

“Red or white?” he enquired. His form elongated as he reached to the upper cabinets to extract the wine glasses. It almost gave her a sense of déjà vu as she recalled him asking her what she wanted to drink a week back.

Holding back her blush, Jinhee replied, “Anything! You’re the bar owner – I’ll trust your expert choice.”

Kiwoo grinned at her cheekily. “That’s a tall order.”

Jinhee gave him a soft smile. Her gaze drifted over the food that they –mostly he– had prepared. He had suggested steak and potatoes, and magically had all the ingredients present in his refrigerator. Steam wafted from the pan-seared steak plated beautifully with the adjacent condiments, almost a testament to his F&B background. It was her first time in weeks eating anything home-cooked, other than Jiwon’s soggy midnight ramen.

Kiwoo ambled over, taking a seat and popping the bottle of wine open. Slowly, he let the wine swirl into his glass decanter. “So,” he started, “what’s the deal?”

Jinhee tilted her head quizzically. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” he said, coolly pouring the wine into her glass, “am I getting any answers? It’s really starting to feel like I’m on a reality TV show – I meet a girl, I meet her again, and then she calls me her boyfriend. It’s a pretty cruel trick to play on your average joe.”

Jinhee threw him a look. He really had a charming sense of humor. “You’re never going to let this go, hm?” she chuckled. “Alright, let’s play a game.”

He raised an eyebrow, shooting her a suggestive smile. “Not _that_ kind of game,” Jinhee groaned. _He’s incorrigible,_ she thought, but she smiled to herself.

“Just making sure,” he laughed. He stuck his fork and knife into his steak, and Jinhee followed suit. “Alright then, I’ll bite – what game?”

“You and I – we take turns asking each other questions. One question at a time, to be fair,” she explained. “If your answer is less than five syllables, you drink.”

Kiwoo nodded, amused. “Sure, you’d better be enjoying my wine, though,” he joked. Jinhee reciprocated a smile. They clinked their wine glasses together, marking the start of the game. “I’ll go first.”

She drew her breath, bracing herself for his first question. After the day’s events, she was convinced that he had a plethora of pointed questions to ask her. She’d given herself a good way out – she’d just drink more of his wine, which, after the first taste, was starting to really meld well with the steak.

Kiwoo casually popped a piece of steak into his mouth. “How old are you?”

Jinhee’s brows met in the middle. Not what she had expected at all. “Really? You’ve been holding back from asking _that_?”

Kiwoo shrugged his shoulders humorously. “Well,” he defended, “you’re built so small – I need to check that I didn’t sleep with a minor.”

“If I was, you’d be too late,” Jinhee replied wittily, drawing a laugh from him. “I turned twenty-eight in the winter.”

He nodded, seemingly unbothered. “Fair enough.”

She opted to play it safe. “How about you? How old are you?”

“Thirty-seven – thirty-eight in two months,” he replied. At her quiet, reciprocal nodding, he asked, “Why? Do you think that’s old?”

“Is that a question?” Jinhee was sharp. A smile curved on her lips. “I mean…”

“Quick little minx, aren’t you?” he chuckled, eyes glimmering. “No, I’ll ask something else. You mention you fly in and out of the country often – where did you fly to this week?”

“Bangkok.” She paused, recalling the five-syllable rule and swiftly correcting herself. “I’m on a project there for the next three weeks. I fly in on Sunday or Monday, sometimes even Saturdays depending on the workload, and fly back into Seoul on Fridays. More taxing than it sounds, really.”

“I can imagine.” Kiwoo gave her a nod of acknowledgement. _Probably why she left on Saturday,_ he thought. He could ask her later, after a few more glasses of wine. Or perhaps not. “Your turn.”

Jinhee propped her chin on her hand, thinking of another harmless question, since that seemed to be the direction he was going in. “Hm… What are your working hours like?”

“4pm to 3am, every day except Tuesdays and the three days a year someone has a birthday or gets engaged,” he replied unaffectedly. “Sometimes I come in earlier if Yikyung, my business partner, needs help at the restaurant.”

She arched her brows. “You’re a restauranteur? And there I was thinking you were a run-of-the-mill bartender,” she teased.

“Looks can be deceiving. Also, that was two questions, but I’ll give you a freebie because you’re cute,” he grinned, and Jinhee narrowed her eyes. “I own a bar but I also co-own a restaurant with my friend, Yikyung. He’s a rookie chef and needed some help setting up. You should drop by – it’s near the CBD as well. I’ll give you all the discounts you want.”

 _That explains the expert cooking._ “You still are an appalling businessman.”

“Hey,” he reminded, “we’ve already agreed that you’re not part of that equation.”

“Well I’m flattered, Kiwoo.”

“You should be,” he said, diverting his gaze away to cut himself another piece of steak. Just as Jinhee relaxed into their pace, he asked, “So, were you really your friend’s plus one at Jongsuk and Shinhye’s wedding?”

 _Ah._ Jinhee bit her upper lip to stop herself from quivering. She knew they would get there at some point. They had known each other for barely a week, two days in fact, if she didn’t want to count the ones she was missing, but Jinhee knew Kiwoo was no fool. He was warming her up, letting them gain momentum, before he asked the things he truly wanted to know. She had rehearsed a reaction and performed it to perfection for everyone she’d known, even Jiwon, Woobin, Sungkyung, and her own brother. _Why am I faltering now?_

Kiwoo already had a sense that it was a touchy subject. And she had handled herself beautifully – no frills, no fuss. All he had was a soft, subdued whimper escaping her lips. But it was enough of a response.

“You know the answer,” Jinhee murmured.

He nodded. _Of course you do,_ Jinhee thought. Kiwoo quietly sipped his wine. “You don’t need to tell me, Jinhee.”

She could have taken the pass. Even if they had their moments of soft laughter, vibrant conversations, and ardent, impassioned intimacy, Kiwoo was a stranger. She didn’t need to disclose the details of her entire life story to him. She could remain an enigma – that turned some guys on. And even if it didn’t, who cared? They were simply ships passing in the night.

But the way he looked at her –gently, kindly and with a muted patience– put some words in her mouth. She didn’t think she would feel that way, but it was almost as though telling him might ease the knot at the back of her head, the one that seemed to tighten immovably over the past five years.

“Jongsuk was my ex-boyfriend,” Jinhee said, steadying herself. “It’s been a while.”

“Oh,” was all he replied with.

“Were your guesses close?”

“About there,” Kiwoo said, finishing the remnants of his wine and proceeding to refill his glass. “Ex-boyfriend, ex-fiancé, _ex-one-night-stand_.”

Jinhee chuckled softly at the reference. She breathed, trying to prepare herself for what he could ask next. He would ask her what happened, why she still came to his wedding after they’d already broken up, why she put on such a show in front on him. She would be willing to answer all of them too, even if he’d asked them all at once. He could possibly think less of her, and she just didn’t have to meet him a third time.

“Are you okay?” he said, instead.

Jinhee looked up. Kiwoo’s brown eyes were washed with concern. Not the slightest tinge of disdain. Just pure, unadulterated concern, as though he had heard the tale of her broken relationship in its entirety.

“I’m fine. It was a really long time ago,” she said, putting on a smile. “I’m sorry I pretended you were my boyfriend. Don’t worry, I don’t intend to keep it up. It was a part of my pride talking… An impetuous part that just wanted to show I was doing well for myself.”

The brightness of her tone barely masked the underlying melancholy. Kiwoo usually recoiled from such conversations – becoming involved with a woman with a past was a recipe for disaster. But Jinhee’s honesty and air of conviction somehow convinced him that she was more than someone wallowing in an old relationship. And he knew that she was only candid with him because, well, she could easily run away.

Kiwoo’s expression softened. “But you are doing well. You’re a consulting hotshot who ditched me and still managed to extract that many favors from me,” he chortled. He saw her smile widen. “How could you possibly not be doing well?”

“You and your glib tongue.” Jinhee shook her head defeatedly, slowly nibbling on the rest of her food.

It was refreshing not to have someone badger her about the details or shower her with pity. Someone who could just dismiss it with humor. Someone who could trust her to wear her big girl pants and solve her problems on her own without treating like her like a delicate little ornament. Or worse, a damaged woman. Maybe it was because he didn’t want to elicit her discomfort. Maybe it was because he genuinely could not care less and just wanted to sleep with her. Whatever his motives were, he left her to her own judgment without a speck of his.

Kiwoo tilted the bottle, shaking out the remaining mauve droplets. “More wine?”

* * *

“–and the fire was so big that we thought we were going to lose the entire restaurant,” Kiwoo described, gesturing with his hands to illustrate his point. “Luckily, Yikyung and I grabbed the extinguishers in time, and it only burnt up half the kitchen. Yikyung this close to firing his junior chef, but he sobbed, begged, and even paid for the renovations – ultimately, we ended up keeping him. Figured one bad accident shouldn’t permanently make a bad chef.” 

They had relocated themselves to his grey sofa, angled towards each other as they leaned against the backrest. Their conversation had somehow morphed into Kiwoo talking about into his experiences running both a bar and a restaurant, and Jinhee interjecting once in a while with some relatively pragmatic business advice, like how he could check the effectiveness of his happy hours or how certain services could be automated for efficiency. People who didn’t understand usually just smiled and laughed politely, so Kiwoo found himself rather at ease with her, in an odd way.

 _Maybe it’s the alcohol talking,_ he supposed. They were on their nth bottle of wine, to the point that he knew he was depleting his reserves. But each time, he was also the one to voluntarily offer up another bottle. Gazing at her reddened cheeks and hazy little smile, he couldn’t help but feel the warmth pool in his stomach.

He stretched an arm on the line of the couch, feeling a snap of static as his forearm brushed against her shoulder. But Jinhee sat there, slightly tipsy and entirely unfazed. “You know…” she started. “…You’re a lot nicer than you seem, Kiwoo.”

An eyebrow came up skeptically. “Somehow that sounded like neither a question nor a compliment.”

Peals of laughter escaped from Jinhee’s lips. It was true now that she thought about it. “I mean it though,” she said, half-laughing, half-truthful. “You’re pretty genuine and patient, more than I expected.”

Kiwoo stared at her, jokingly appalled. “You don’t think your run-of-the-mill bartender can be genuine and patient?”

“No,” she said, with an earnestness, “you’re genuine for a one-night stand. The aftermath of casual sex is usually avoidance or more sex. Not us talking and willingly listening to each other’s life stories. It’s quite nice.”

He emitted a small snort. She really did go there. “You’re assuming I do this quite a bit,” he concluded, and then smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “Well, you probably have a good guess, and I’ll leave you to that and just say that being genuine and wanting to sleep with you are not mutually exclusive.”

There was a twinkle in his eyes as he slurred out his words, and Jinhee couldn’t help but think he really was a master. “Either way,” she chuckled, “it’s still quite nice.”

Emboldened by the liquor and the mesmerizing, inebriated smile she flashed at him, he asked, “Can I ask you one more question?”

“Sure.”

“If your champagne glass didn’t break, you were going to dodge away without saying hi, weren’t you?” he said knowingly, tilting his head towards her. Her beautiful, rosy face seemed slightly startled. “You were.”

Jinhee gave him an apologetic look. “Look, what was I supposed to say to you?” she sighed, all-too-candidly. “ _Hi, how are you, I’m sorry I left you without a note but the sex was great_ – you’d wish you didn’t have to meet me again either.”

He chuckled. “Fair enough. Strange meeting someone you didn’t want to see again.”

“No, that’s not true!” she exclaimed. “I just had a flight, I– it wasn’t on purpose…”

As Jinhee trailed off, half regretting her words and half ashamed, Kiwoo shifted closer to her. She raised her head and found her face inches from his. “So, you _did_ want to see me again?”

“I… I don’t know,” Jinhee replied, chortling tipsily. Her usually quick-witted mind was dulled by the wine, leaving her a bit of a muttering mess. “Did you?”

“Maybe,” Kiwoo shrugged.

Jinhee leaned against his arm. “So, you weren’t too happy that I left that morning, huh?”

“Maybe.”

Kiwoo gently moved his face towards hers. Slowly, deliberately, his lips touched hers. Jinhee drew herself closer to him, encircling her arms around his neck. She felt his hot breath against her lips, his hands slowly skimming the expanse of her exposed back, the warmth emanating from his lightly covered chest. They were so close she could feel the fervor on his skin, hear his heart palpitating in his chest. She moaned softly as he covered her lips with his, deepening the kiss.

There was familiarity in how his lips felt – soft, inviting and wanting. He kissed her delicately, like he trying to test the waters, reassure her thundering heart, make her remember… what _this_ felt like.

As his fingers trailed her skin, Jinhee felt the butterflies flit about her stomach. Every touch was gentle, unrushed, a sting of static dissolving into a pool of warmth as he engulfed her, body and mind, with him. He touched her with a desire to feel her, to appreciate her every line and curve, and meld her into his warm, wanting embrace. Jinhee hadn’t felt this before – to be so gently, yet ardently wanted, for every inch of her.

Jinhee gasped against his moving lips, feeling his fingers creep under the barely-there fabric of her dress. He drew circles on her skin, lightly easing her to his touch. Her hands moved erratically against his chest, pressing lips more passionately against his. She devoured his mouth desirously, battling feverously against his tongue as they pushed each other in a heavy, amorous rhythm.

 _God,_ he fought to keep his calm, _why do I want her so much?_ Every second was almost torturous, but he wanted to savor it, to feel every touch to the fullest. An anxious feeling drummed away within him, as she was about to slip out of his fingers, like smoke in the air…

His hands wandered carefully, with a painful slowness. Her breath staggered as she felt him trace the outline of her breast, before brushing against her taut nipples. He began to knead them, eliciting a lewd moan from her lips. He pressed his mouth to the crevice of her neck, slowly licking a line to the back of her ear–

“Kiwoo…” Jinhee sighed breathlessly. Kiwoo put another kiss on her neck before moving back to her lips.

“Yes?” he exhaled.

“Kiwoo, I’m…” He felt her ragged breaths on his mouth. Her eyes were closed, sweat trickling down her forehead as she leaned against his. “I’m…”

Jinhee couldn’t think. Her head was spinning, making her lose her balance. Her limbs seemed to be made of lead, resting weakly on his strong shoulders. All she could feel was him, all she wanted to feel was him, but…

Kiwoo felt her tremble feebly against him. “Jinhee…” he murmured. “You’re drunk…” He slowly, affectionately caressed her burning cheeks. “It doesn’t have to be now, baby…”

 _No,_ she thought, with all the remnants of consciousness she had left. “But I…” she softly protested. _I want y_ –

“It’s okay…” he whispered reassuringly.

Slowly, Kiwoo maneuvered them both onto the arm of his couch, into a lying position. He guided her to his chest, placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head, and wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders. There, he stroked her back gently as she drifted off into a deep, peaceful slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh. My. God. This chapter left me breathless. Like, it was excruciating to write because I literally lost my breath. I genuinely feel like this chapter is emblematic of the entire story - passionate, romantic, but in a way that's muted, almost dream-like. 
> 
> I feel like this chapter truly shows the characters from another angle. We see the usually put-together, tough Jinhee kind of unwind a little, show her vulnerable side to Kiwoo, who patiently, wholeheartedly accepts her for everything. There's something raw and honest in the way they communicate with each other, without putting on airs or pretending to be someone they're not. They know what the other person is like, but they don't judge each other for it. I love how Jinhee just candidly admits that she wasn't right, and doesn't try to skirt away from that fact. It shows her self-awareness, and that she's not there to take advantage of his kindness. I think the final scene just really takes my breath away because it's this soft, passionate, subdued moment where they're both clearly drunk, and instead of falling into clueless, drunken sex, we see a moment where Kiwoo restrains himself when he knows that she's slowly losing her strength because of the alcohol, and shows his soft side when he caresses her and kisses her and just lets her sleep with him. Sleep in it's definition, not sex. What makes Kiwoo different is that he wants her, but also wants her to want him, and he doesn't want to hurt her. Like, he may seem like your usual playboy with sweet words, but you see here he's really more than that. Sex to him isn't just sex.
> 
> I'm sorry I personally just really loved this chapter for so many reasons.
> 
> How do you feel about it? Let me know! Updates coming soon.
> 
> -C


	5. Chapter 5

****

**five**

_"I like flaws. I think they making things interesting."_

– Sarah Dessen

* * *

Jinhee woke up with a start, which slowly culminated into a splitting headache. Bright rays of sunlight blinded her heavily-lidded eyes, causing her to reflexively rub them. She groaned, shifting uncomfortably in her position, feeling the cool polyester on her skin– Her eyelids flew open. _Where the hell am I?_

Her vision cleared to reveal a familiar room of white, grey, and brown hues. It took her a moment to register: she had spent the night at Kiwoo’s. _Again._ From behind her, she heard the muffled patter of running water, realizing Kiwoo was most probably in the shower. As memories from the previous night’s anticlimactic ending trickled in, Jinhee buried her head in her hands.

 _Oh my lord. I stopped him just as we were about to fuck._ The thought alone was enough to make her cringe. Not there was anything wrong with that, but Jinhee knew he had been probably about to burst. How the hell was she going to face him now? As if the situation –their entire relationship– wasn’t already awkward as fuck, now there were more awkward happenings being added to the growing laundry list. Jinhee glanced ruefully at the door – she couldn’t even make a quick getaway, because she had done that the last time and doing it again would truly make her the shittiest human being.

Her legs felt like jelly as she set them on the floor and wobbled to the kitchen. She looked around cluelessly, as though her answer would magically appear among the pots and pans. _Should I make breakfast?_ She grimaced at the thought of him eating burnt pancakes. _What can I do then? Should I–_

“Plotting an escape again?” A soft chuckle broke her train of rambling thoughts.

Jinhee swiveled around, chest bare and towel draped around his waist, beads of water trickling down his body. Their first night had been a fuzzy memory – she could only remember the puffing and panting of desperate sex, so the sight of his large, chiseled form, muscles carved in all the right places, bathed in the golden morning light, incited the blush to rise to her cheeks.

“N-no,” she replied lamely, biting her lips. “I was going to try to make you breakfast but I…” she trailed off, meeting his amused, smiling eyes. “I- I’m sorry for last night.”

He chuckled again, kindlier this time, as he rubbed his wet hair with a smaller towel. “Ah, Jinhee – free drink machine, one-night-stand, friend, boyfriend, cook, and now hotel. You’re treating me like your personal giving tree, eh?”

Jinhee stared at him sheepishly, wanting to dig a hole somewhere and just crawl in it. She had her fair share of awkward disasters, but her entire experience had to seriously top the list. Her prim and proper, straight-as-an-arrow self could barely tolerate the damsel-in-distress she seemed to be in that moment.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled again apologetically. “I probably should’ve stopped drinking after we finished the second bottle. I’m usually better with alcohol – I took a flight yesterday before the engagement part, so it was just a really long day–“

“Are you alright, Jinhee?”

There it was again – his kind, concerned and irresistibly sweet expression. Every time he set it on her, she could feel her knees falter and her heart lurch. _Pathetic_ , she scolded herself. _Don’t act like a man’s never shown you concern before._

“I’m fine,” Jinhee replied, dismissing her inner twists and turns. “Just a small migraine, but nothing a few painkillers won’t solve. No worries.”

Kiwoo nodded. “I think I have some, actually. Let me just dig them out.”

She stared blankly as he shuffled to the living room, rummaging through the drawers in search of the aforementioned painkillers. Against the ticking clock, Jinhee deliberated her next response. Was she supposed to drink them in silence while looking at him with beautifully confused eyes for a cue? That was cliché as hell. At that juncture, making an exit was just as ridiculous, especially after everything he had done and was doing for her. _Stupid or rude_ – it was sad to think those were the options her entire personality boiled down to.

“Found them!” he said, pulling out a squashed box of pills. “They look like they’ve seen hell, but trust me, they’re not expired.”

Jinhee quietly took them from his hands. “Thank you.”

They resumed their awkward silence. Her heart drummed away, almost as though it was about to pop out of her mouth.

“I should go–“

“How do you like your eggs–“

Their eyes met again as their voices broke the silence in unison. “I feel bad,” she said, trying to regain her usual cool profile. “I feel like I’ve infringed on your hospitality too much. Plus I also have some work to do, need a change of clothes, and also need to check if Jiwon hasn’t died…” _Ugh._ What was an attempt to clear the air seemed like she was just trailing off again.

“Well, I don’t mind,” Kiwoo shrugged, scratching the back of his head. “I can make you something before you go.”

“Oh,” Jinhee replied, feeling extremely lame. “It’s 12pm, not sure if we should be having breakfast– Ah, I guess it’s your breakfast time.”

Kiwoo could see her squirm. The women he had over were usually all-too-keen to stay longer. Ironically, that behavior made him want them to leave. It being Saturday also meant he had to check on the restaurant suppliers, pick up some extra ingredients, brief his staff for the weekend specials, also align the bar’s threshold with the theme of the week… _I want her to stay._

“I can drive you back,” he suggested kindly.

“No, it’s fine, I–“ Jinhee paused, realizing she was once again, in some way, rejecting his advances. She frowned – her words were not coming out as she wanted them to. Kiwoo was fully collected, but she could his shoulders subtly droop, and a restrained disappointment in his eyes. “There’s this place in Apgujeong where I usually go to get brunch and finish up some weekend work. If you don’t mind waiting, I can get a change of clothes at home and we can…” she murmured, gazing at him. “…have lunch.”

He raised his eyebrows, eyes sparkling like gems. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

 _Own it, Jinhee. This is such a bad idea._ “Yeah, I guess so.”

* * *

Jinhee didn’t think she would feel like a fish out of water in what was supposed to be her regular haunt. The female halves of the usually lovey-dovey couples were now taking glimpses at Kiwoo, hushed murmurs rumbling about the café accompanied by some rather impolite pointing. When Jinhee left him by their designated table to make an order at the cashier, a couple of magnetized ladies had managed to slip him their numbers. Jinhee herself didn’t even have his number.

As she at across from him, Jinhee shifted uncomfortably. She was normally on the other side, gazing at couples whisper sweet nothings and poke flirtatiously at each other as she melded into the pastel hues of the book café, typing away at her laptop. Sometimes she would indulge in videos of stand-up comedy and laugh rambunctiously, and no one would hear a sound. Besides the female attention attracted by Kiwoo, _ugh_ , it was the near-unfamiliarity of being with a man in broad daylight that bugged Jinhee. At least, just a little.

Jinhee transfixed her gaze on Kiwoo, who seemed to be obliviously scarfing down his plate of Spaghetti Aglio Olio. She had navigated him to the café after she had gotten a change of clothes at home –while dodging the inebriated, asleep Jiwon– and pondered for a bit whether she should even be doing this. The coincidental meeting, casual-steak-dinner-at-his-place-cum-almost-sex, her showing him her secret weekend spot, this strange sense of affinity – it bothered her. They were strangers. He was supposed to be a mere one-night-stand. She was just supposed to go home and brush it all off, even if they’d met again. But there she was, ogling at him while he stuffed his face with pasta at her favorite spot.

 _Fuck_. Jinhee nearly groaned. If she were a character in a book, she would indubitably judge herself. _Even the way he eats like a baby dinosaur is cute._

“You’re not going to eat?” he asked, finally looking up from his bowl of pasta.

“Oh, yeah,” she replied distractedly. She slowly forked in a bite of her own food. _Did I order a fucking salad?_ God, Jinhee felt like a walking cliché.

Not missing a beat, Kiwoo gave her a wondering look. “You look like you ordered wrong. Do you want me to switch?” They diverted their eyes to his almost-empty bowl of pasta. “Ah, my bad. Let me get you something else?”

“And there I thought you wanted me to just eat a few strands of your leftover pasta,” Jinhee said. “It’s fine. Salad’s good.”

“If you’re sure,” he shrugged. His eyes then slowly scanned the interior of the café. “This is a really nice place, by the way. Didn’t know they had such hideaways in the heart of Seoul.”

“Feels like I’m giving my secrets away and next week it won’t be a hideaway anymore,” Jinhee chuckled weakly.

Kiwoo reciprocated with his usual, kind smile, sending butterflies roaming through her stomach. “At least that means I’ll know where you are.”

The way he looked at her sent her blood rushing quickly through her veins. _Why does he have to do that?_ Jinhee cursed internally. Every time he touched her, teased her, even _looked_ at her, something seemed to go off within her. And Jinhee didn’t do these things – going on dates, sharing about herself, being even remotely nervous… These things had consequences. Consequences that Jinhee knew she wasn’t capable of bearing. _Remember what happened with Jongsuk–_

 _You’re overthinking,_ Jinhee told herself. Her eyes drifted over Kiwoo, who had a charming little smile played at one edge of his lips. _He clearly isn’t taking things seriously, so why should I?_ _You’re falling into a cliché, Baek Jinhee._

“Something’s bothering you,” Kiwoo remarked, jolting her out of her reverie.

“Oh, huh?” Jinhee mumbled. “No, it’s nothing, I’m fine.”

“I’ve noticed you tend to do this, you know,” Kiwoo said, propping his back against his seat. “You stare quietly at me for a very long time, and when I ask you what’s bothering you, you give me some type of non-answer.”

 _He caught me._ Jinhee put up a defeated smile. “I’m sorry,” she replied. “I just can’t help but feel a little bad for everything.”

“Another non-answer.”

“Well, it’s the truth,” Jinhee said defensively.

“Nope, it’s not.” Kiwoo shook his head, and then leaned forward in a way that almost made her recoil. “The truth is you’re bothered that you met a stranger you had an impulsive one-night-stand with at your ex-boyfriend’s wedding, ended up being intimate with him, and now you’re at your favorite place with him. You’re attracted to me, but you’re concerned that I’m toying with you.”

She responded with an almost instantaneous eye-roll. “Wow, you’re a discerning one,” she replied, half-teasingly, half-sarcastically, attempting to conceal her surprise at him _nearly hitting the nail on the head._ “Then let me turn the question – doesn’t it bother _you_? You seem like you’ve committed some hit-and-runs.”

He chuckled softly at her choice of defense. “It does and I have – but not _exclusively_ ,” he replied. “The male mind does not compartmentalize relationships into ‘sex’, ‘like’, and ‘bring home to mom’.” Jinhee rolled her eyes again. “We’re fine with blurry lines.”

“How beautifully sexist,” Jinhee chuckled. “Well unfortunately mine does – into ‘work’, and ‘ _a waste of time_ ’.”

As she felt triumphant at her witty rejoinder, a smug smile formed on his lips. “You probably just thought I was an asshole, didn’t you?”

Jinhee inhaled sharply. “No.”

“Lies.”

There was another thing about Kiwoo, one that irked her a lot more than everything else. From the first time he met her, he had this uncanny ability to manage conversations with women. Maybe it was a product of his experience, but he knew exactly when to be kind, when to push and pull, when to annoy them just a little so he could elicit the response he wanted. And maybe most of the time he was right.

 _But not always._ Jinhee heaved a sigh. “You’re right that these past few events have been a little overwhelming. And probably, unlike you, I need more time to process them,” she admitted. She then gazed into his eyes – deeply, genuinely, and unapologetically. “But I’ve never found you an asshole. Not once.”

 _There it is._ Kiwoo felt a jolt of electricity run through his veins. That was what made Baek Jinhee _different._

Kiwoo had been through this song and dance several times. Mind games, thrills-of-the-chase, playing-hard-to-get… He’d seen it all and done it all. Everyone wanted to seem different, but in the process, no one really was. They were narcissists at heart, trying to gain the one-sided favors of a handsome bartender who seemed pretty kind and trusting.

But in the short one week he knew her, Jinhee had attempted none of that. Sure, she could flirt, charm, and shoot a few witty remarks to gain a man’s attention, but Jinhee didn’t play any games. She was essentially just herself, going through work, life, relationships with her best foot forward, no games or machinations, learning from her past in an unapologetic way. She probably thought she was complicated, but from what he had seen, she was trying to live in a raw, uncomplicated way. Maybe not in a way that was completely honest to herself, but in this day and age, who did?

That kept him sitting at his seat. He reached out for her hand, flipped it around, and pressed his palms against hers. Jinhee didn’t pull away. “Hey,” he called softly, “that’s all that matters.”

“You should know, I’m not asking you for anything,” Jinhee started. “I mean it, I really can’t manage to–“

“I know.”

He looked her in the eye, immediately easing her of all his own thoughts. He had no context, absolutely no insight into her life at all. He was still a stranger she kept at arm’s length, yet there was a calmness, a tranquility that he brought to her heart.

 _He’s right_ , she thought. _It really doesn’t matter._

“Also, let me set the record straight – you can toy with me all you want,” she said, relaxing back into her teasing tone. “Who’s to say I’m not doing the same with you? Last I checked, you’ve been the one giving me favors.”

“Shots fired there, baby,” he laughed. “Don’t make me actually want to pick someone else up tonight.”

As she geared up for an equally witty retort, his phone momentously rung.

* * *

“I’m sorry I have to cut our date short,” Kiwoo said, switching off the car’s engine and turning to give her an apologetic look. “There’s always last-minute problems with the bar on a Saturday night.”

They had just pulled up into a parking lot in front of the bar they had first met, with the midday sun still scintillating high in the sky. He had received an urgent call earlier from one of his employees, something about one of employees on the Saturday shift falling ill and the sudden realization from another one of them that the bar was short on a few bottles of liquor.

“It wasn’t a date,” she reminded him, her eyes sparkling, “and that’s why you can get away with it.”

“You little minx,” he said, pinching her cheek. “I’ll make it up to you.”

“Please don’t.”

He pinched her cheek again. Ignoring her teasing, he unclipped his seatbelt. “Well, I’m going to quickly check on things inside before I drop you off. You can stay in the car.”

“No, it’s okay, I can come with you for a bit.”

Jinhee clambered out of his car, her laptop habitually tucked underneath her arm. Her eyes swept over the familiar black-tinted windows and dimly lit signage, thinking how different they seemed under the afternoon light. Following closely behind him, she stepped into the threshold of _Ships Passing into the Night._

Despite the emptiness of the bar, there was something elegant about the space. Soft leather seats and dark wood tables alternated over the glossy, dark brown floors, flanking a small raised platform that served as a stage for live music. Towering pillars and other wall fixtures separated alcoves, providing the illusion of intimacy in a relatively open space. Dimmed yellow lights mildly illuminated the spaces in all the wrong places, allowing the customers to play hide-and-seek as they saw fit. But from Kiwoo’s position, the lush and majestic corner bar, he would conveniently have full view of the entire place.

She glimpsed at him as he spoke to his employees on the other hand of the room. As she slowly approached him, she could hear the urgency in his voice and the concern that lined his brows. Kiwoo was mostly an unruffled man – despite the many events that week, it was the first time she had seen him being genuinely bothered by something.

“–but boss, Rowoon and Junho are off today, and they haven’t been picking up their calls. Even if they do, we don’t know how quickly they’d be able to rush here. I remember Rowoon saying that–“

“Then we have to manage, right?” Kiwoo interrupted. “We can just switch around the roles. I can man the bar on my own with some support, and call Yikyung to borrow someone from the restaurant to help with the tables. It’s a Saturday night, we can’t afford to just not open.”

The man, who seemed to be the bar’s manager, seemed to be equally anxious. “Boss, Chef Lee did say that he’d also be having a full house tonight, and…” he trailed off.

Kiwoo seemed to be in a state of distress, and Jinhee didn’t know what got into her–

“If you’re short on manpower tonight, I can help, Kiwoo.”

Kiwoo swivelled around, eyelids nearly up to his brows. He could barely believe what he was hearing. “Jinhee, it’s alright,” he replied, trying to be reassuring while managing his own stress. “It’s very sweet of you, but we’ll be fine.”

“I mean it, though,” she insisted.

“Jinhee… You don’t have a bartending license, not to mention that you’re not–”

“Look, I’ve never had experience waitressing or bartending – I’ll admit I’ve had a privileged upbringing, but I am a consultant. That means I work in _any field,_ ” she emphasized, “that my client is in. Plus, I do owe you a favor. Several, actually.”

Kiwoo looked her in her serious, confident eyes. He had to admit, the offer was very tempting, but besides occasionally picking up a bed buddy for the night, Kiwoo never mixed work with his personal life. It was a dangerous line that he was wise enough not to cross, no matter how much the women in his past poked and prodded. The very fact that he was even tempted by her suggestion frightened him slightly. 

“Boss,” his manager chimed in, interrupting their moment, “it’s not a bad idea. She can just help you to make non-alcoholic drinks and deliver some of the cocktails to some tables, no? That would already ease a lot of the burden on the others.”

Kiwoo inhaled, eyes still transfixed on the eager Jinhee. “Are you sure, Jinhee?”

“Who’s the one overthinking now?” Jinhee smiled and leaned in. “It’s as your manager said. I’ll just help to make some Arnold Palmers and send them to the floor. I won’t get in your way, I promise.” Noticing the worry still etched on his face, Jinhee put a reassuring hand on his. “I also won’t show up uninvited in the future, pretending to ‘help’ while disrupting your work. Kiwoo, you know I’ve got enough of my own.”

Kiwoo burst into peals of laughter. Her work laptop was underneath her arm, fairly proving her point. “Fine, fine, just this once,” he acquiesced. To his general manager, he said, “Alright, help me re-divide tasks with the rest of the team, I’ll come to brief you guys in a minute.”

His general manager bowed relievedly and hurried off into the locker room. Jinhee rolled up her sleeves, a determined look in her eyes. “Okay,” she said decisively. “Do you have any recipe books of all your non-alcoholic drinks? I need to learn the ratios, and you need to show me where all the ingredients are– Oh, do you also have a floor plan, I need to–“

As she started planning out her strategy in full-blown consultant mode, Kiwoo intertwined his fingers with hers and gazed at her.

“Thank you,” he said, his raw sincerity resounding through his words.

Jinhee knew how he felt. Even if client confidentiality permitted it, she would never allocate any of her work to a stranger she’d only known for a week, no matter how trustworthy they seemed or how desperate she was. She wouldn’t have offered aid if he didn’t seem so distressed. He had pride in his work, and regardless of the strange chronology of events, it was something she could respect about him.

Jinhee reciprocated with a smile. “Thank _you_ ,” she said, “and don’t overthink it, okay? Let’s get to work.”

As she pulled him towards the interior counter, he felt an unfamiliar tug on his heart and a small smile curve at the edge of his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi everyone! Lighter chapter this one, to gear you up for the more intense chapters coming next. Hint hint. I know this whole story might seem like a bit of a slow burn for you guys. Like the characters don't really behave in an extreme way, and nothing genuinely tragic seems to happen. But I think that's just how Jinhee and Kiwoo function - they're both people who know how to be independent and take control of their own lives. If anything, them meeting each other allows for even more safety nets. 
> 
> But I do feel that while this chapter was on the lighter side, it did shed light into their personalities. We see Jinhee being slightly more flustered, and also her unexplained reservations towards relationships. If you see the way she thinks and talks, you'd notice that she doesn't try for any kind of commitment. She genuinely doesn't expect anything from Kiwoo either. On the other hand, we see Kiwoo's jadedness towards relationships in general. I feel like Kiwoo often goes between being gentlemanly and being a bit of a player LOL but he's actually got a genuine side as well, and we see that when he's worried about his business, in how he thinks of Jinhee and treats Jinhee. 
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think! Next chapter coming soon. Let's see if I can manage a double update. If I can't, it'll come tomorrow! And to everyone who subscribed/commented/upvoted, thanks for giving this a chance!
> 
> -C

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the busy consultants out there who can barely catch a break.


End file.
